GALVESTON - Visitors who drive to Galveston may be in for a rude awakening soon: Parking rates could jump to as high as $15 at some beaches by next summer.

Since the Park Board that operates popular destinations like Stewart and East beaches doesn't get a share of tax revenue, board members say they need the parking rate hikes to cover the ever-increasing costs of operating and maintaining the beaches. "The Park Board cannot clean up after 6 million people with the budget it generates," Park Board Executive Director Kelly de Schaun said.

The number of island visitors is up from 5.3 million in 2008, the year Hurricane Ike battered the island.

The board is saddled with the cost of adding sand to constantly eroding beaches while still repairing damage caused by Ike. It had to foot $300,000 of the $1.6 million bill for the replacement of an East Beach pavilion damaged by Ike.

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"A big drain is hurricane recovery," de Schaun said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency pays the balance of those repairs.

The City Council last week approved asking the Texas General Land Office for permission to raise parking fees to $15 but the city would maintain final say on increases. The Land Office normally takes about six to nine months to approve a fee-increase request, de Schaun said, so the higher fees could be in effect next summer if everything goes according to plan.

The proposal would increase parking to $12 per car for the board's 6,000 parking spaces at East Beach and 2,500 at Stewart Beach. Rates are expected to remain at $8 for the smaller parks, including the 400 spots at Pocket Park 1, the 352 at Pocket Park 2 and the 272 at Pocket Park 3. The proposal would not affect the price of seawall parking, which is set in the city charter.

The cost of a season pass good at every park on the island could double from $25 to $50 under the proposal.

Adding amenities

The hike on the horizon didn't come as good news for beachgoers at Stewart Beach Sunday until they learned about the Park Board's $40 million plan to add amenities like a pavilion, hiking trails and concessions at Stewart and East beaches, the most popular beaches on the island.

"I think it's stupid we have to pay to go to the beach," said Michelle Laughter, 26, of Tulsa, Okla. Told about the extra amenities that will be added, she changed her mind. "If they would improve it, yes," Laughter said. "But just as it is now, no."

Some city leaders questioned whether the increases would shut out lower-income families, but de Schaun countered that there are 39 beach-access points on the island with free parking. Moreover, a limited amount of free parking is provided near the other parks, allowing families to walk to beaches with paid parking, she said.

Councilwoman Terrilyn Tarlton pointed out that visitors, not residents, will be paying the higher fees to finance beach improvements. Only 25 Galveston residents had season passes, an indication of how few island residents pay for beach parking, officials said.

"If we are going to bring up amenities and make Galveston a beautiful place, we've got to invest in our beaches," Tarlton said. "Galveston residents don't want to fork over this money."

Galveston isn't the only city asking for fee increases. South Padre Island, which has no parking fees, is asking the Land Office for permission to charge $13 per day and $50 for an annual pass, said Scottie Alpin, Land Office attorney. The Village of Surfside received approval to hike its annual parking fee from $8 to $12, she said.

Galveston's last increase in parking fees for the seven parks operated by the board - including Sea Wolf Park on Pelican Island, which has no beach - was in 2006, but costs have increased 20 percent since then, de Schaun said. Meanwhile the board is trying to find money to improve parks for visitors.

The Park Board uses 4 cents of the hotel occupancy tax to finance marketing done by the Galveston Convention Center and Visitors Bureau, beach cleaning and the Beach Patrol. Three cents of the tax by law goes to marketing and cannot be used for any other purpose, said Steve Kalbaugh, board chairman. The marketing fund has plenty of money, but the 0.5 cent left for beach cleaning and the 0.5 cent for the lifeguard services provided by the Beach Patrol don't cover the costs, Kalbaugh said, The board must provide those services for the 39 access points where parking is free, he said. Work crews each day must clean up debris that drifts ashore and trash left by visitors while the Beach Patrol provides a roving lifeguard team to provide beach safety on the beaches west of the seawall.

Employee costs jump

The $24 million fiscal 2015-16 budget shows that beach cleaning dipped into reserves for $377,000 to cover costs and the Beach Patrol used $736,000 from reserves. In total, about $4.6 million was withdrawn from reserves for all operations. For example, beach cleaning costs increased from $2.5 million in 2012 to $3.2 million in 2015 while Beach Patrol costs jumped from $2 million to $3 million. The money from increased parking fees would initially be used to stop the bleeding, de Schaun said.

Employee costs jumped 40 percent over the last 10 years, mostly because of insurance and other costs not controlled by management, she said. As costs increase, so do services provided by the board. A playground, shower stalls and daily live music were added at East Beach, de Schaun said.

"Parks are not just about facilities," she said, "the are about the services you provide."

Galveston is laying down a new beach in from 61st to 81st streets in front of the seawall and plans to refresh existing seawall beaches, costing the board about $26.5 million. Another $8.9 million will be sent to keep sand on the beaches over the next five years.